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pedge · 07-09-2006, 17:00

Well, my dual 1gb G4 has been struggling lately so I've bit the bullet and gone for this...

Two 2GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
3GB Ram
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single-link DVI/dual-link DVI)
250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
2nd 250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
One 16x SuperDrive
Apple Keyboard & Mighty Mouse
Mac OS X
Five USB ports
Two FireWire 400 ports
Two FireWire 800 ports

Total of £1790 smackers and being delivered tomorrow - looking forward to running Windows in tandem with it using Parallels Desktop.

So thats the weekend sorted - reinstalling apps, copying files etc. Should be a pain, but somehow I think it'll be a pleasure.

Its a Mac thing...

pgo · 07-09-2006, 17:45

Purty, but damn is that ever expensive.

$3,357.27 with no monitor...

cocknose · 08-09-2006, 02:18

you lucky bastard... was playing on the MacPro the other day at the apple store... Soooo Sweet!

top_buzz · 08-09-2006, 04:11

What's a 16X SuperDrive?

Alexanda · 08-09-2006, 04:17

dvd burner

pedge · 08-09-2006, 08:52

Well, its here (I'm on it now, actually) and so far its going sweetly.

Just installed Adobe CS2 on it so it'll be interesting how Rosetta handles it.

The Intel apps are amazing - you click, it opens. Maybe one bounce on the icon. Quit the app - and it disappears. None of this lag I've had with the G4.

Just updating CS2 now and dropping the other apps on - then its copying time from the G4 and finally adding the other two drives into it.

Its going to be a long, sleepless weekend - possible divorce proceeding on Monday.

Its that 'Mac Thing'...

cocknose · 08-09-2006, 09:55

treat it well....

cocknose · 10-09-2006, 13:04

sooo... hows it been?
i want a compare and contrast... cause the only reviews i have heard are all from none designers...

Flick · 10-09-2006, 13:22

that IS special! - i'd really like to upgrade from my 15" powerbook G4 but the financial situation prevents unfortunately. What size monitor?

Transmogrify · 10-09-2006, 13:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgo

Purty, but damn is that ever expensive.

$3,357.27 with no monitor...

To find a Dell machine with a similar spec was $2700 and that was a single processor machine without a monitor. Considering the specification, I wouldn't say that's over priced.

pedge · 10-09-2006, 16:04

Well, this weekend all I've done is load stuff up on it and reset preferences etc. Its a cracking piece of kit, CS2 works fine from first tests but it is under Rosetta so its bound to be slower than Universal apps.

I'll be working on it all day tomorrow so should get time to post first impressions then.

pgo · 10-09-2006, 16:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Transmogrify

To find a Dell machine with a similar spec was $2700 and that was a single processor machine without a monitor. Considering the specification, I wouldn't say that's over priced.

And why would you want to buy a Dell?

I built nearly the same system for a friend just last week. Only difference is that it has 1GB less RAM than this one. Although it does have a better GPU. One processor, but it's an ass kicking dual core 64-bit Athlon. Everything else is exactly the same except we bought a widescreen LCD monitor with it and an 8MP digital camera, 2 DVD burners, speakers, extra cooling fans, and 3 full-version PC games. $2,400.

Not trying to detract from your purchase pedge. Just saying that even $2,700 seems steep in the PC market.

cocknose · 10-09-2006, 17:22

who really cares which one costs less or works better...
its llke buying an aston martin or a bmw they do the same thing, but its your choice and your money...

i'l be the aston martin....

pedge · 11-09-2006, 15:25

Ok, here's first days impressions...

Compared to my old G4 (Dual 1ghz, 2gb ram) the Mac Pro really moves.

NeoOffice (an open source alternative to Word, Excel etc) dragged something chronic with the G4, taking about 20 seconds to open; the Mac Pro opened it within 5 seconds or so - very nippy.

Adobe CS2 under Rosetta is a little on the sluggish side (but still faster than the Mac Pro) - you can feel its not as responsive as the native Intel apps but once Adobe get their finger out and release CS3 I'm sure it'll go like shit off a shovel.

Its handling big Photoshop files ok, although Indesign has a strange quirk - if you drag a new object the co-ordinates are a little too... precise; i.e. a box which would normally display co-ordinates at X: 23.54mm Y: 18.92mm now display as X: 23.5438964678298mm Y: 18.9238964678298mm.

iPhoto is a lot faster than the G4, loaded them up fine and flew along.

Illustrator is working well, as is Fontagent Pro which opens incredibly fast, loading all the fonts with no problems.

Don't seem to have problems with printer drivers, plugins etc - all going pretty well.

Found a problem with Bryce 5.0 though - when you click on open or save in the menubar, the dialog box is hidden behind the main interface so you can't type your filename or select the file.

The main thing I notice is the noise - there isn't any. The G4 sounds like its constantly trying to take off from 8am to 6pm, whirring away. It was quite eerie without that noise - think I'm going to have to keep it just for background noise.

In all, so far so good, I'll get a better idea of how it handles as the week goes by.

cocknose · 11-09-2006, 15:45

on the adobe products.... i know start up is slow but just day to day light weight photoshop shit, can you tell a big difference... compare it to your G4

pedge · 12-09-2006, 14:54

OKeedokee, day 2.

CS2 is working fine; all apps (illy, photoshop, golive, acrobat) seem ok and so far no big problems.

Compared with the G4 it definately feels (and is) faster, the only thing I've noticed is (sometimes) it stalls when using the print dialog. Not all the time, perhaps if you flick over to (say) photoshop and go straight to the print dialog it takes a few seconds longer for it to come up.

Its handling large files (500mb - 1gb) no problem, so lightweight stuff should be great.

Indesign is working good, nice and fast although by the time its made Universal I'm sure it'll fly.

If you've got a G4 and you're wondering whether to make the switch, I'd say do it - you'll hardly notice the difference. If you've got a G5, however, you may find it slower and it may be better to wait.

superstoffe · 18-09-2006, 02:48

Sweet stuff! Unfortunaly I've to stick with my 17" powerbook g4 a while.

About CS2, it will run just like a dream when the update is coming. Still a couple of months though :/

pedge · 18-09-2006, 03:18

Yep - when the universal CS2 comes out I'll defo be updating it.

Tried Parallels Desktop to run Windows XP - it works with 2gb ram but not 3gb (Kernel Panics); they're working on a fix...

cocknose · 18-09-2006, 04:18

i don't think they are making cs2 universal.. they are just going straight to CS3 and making that universial next spring!

pedge · 18-09-2006, 05:29

Ah - that's what I meant (CS3), a mere slip of the keyboard. Wish Adobe were as quick as Apple when it comes to beating deadlines...

07-09-2006, 17:00	#1 (permalink)
pedge Crazy diamond... Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Liverpool (UK) Posts: 745	Christmas has come early... Well, my dual 1gb G4 has been struggling lately so I've bit the bullet and gone for this... Two 2GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon 3GB Ram NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single-link DVI/dual-link DVI) 250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s 2nd 250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s One 16x SuperDrive Apple Keyboard & Mighty Mouse Mac OS X Five USB ports Two FireWire 400 ports Two FireWire 800 ports Total of £1790 smackers and being delivered tomorrow - looking forward to running Windows in tandem with it using Parallels Desktop. So thats the weekend sorted - reinstalling apps, copying files etc. Should be a pain, but somehow I think it'll be a pleasure. Its a Mac thing...

08-09-2006, 04:17	#5 (permalink)
Alexanda European Champions 2008 Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 2,398	dvd burner __________________ whats facebook?

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07-09-2006, 17:45	#2 (permalink)
pgo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 12,340	Purty, but damn is that ever expensive. $3,357.27 with no monitor...

08-09-2006, 02:18	#3 (permalink)
cocknose Banned™ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 3,481	you lucky bastard... was playing on the MacPro the other day at the apple store... Soooo Sweet!

08-09-2006, 04:11	#4 (permalink)
top_buzz For your health! Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,507	What's a 16X SuperDrive?

08-09-2006, 08:52	#6 (permalink)
pedge Crazy diamond... Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Liverpool (UK) Posts: 745	Well, its here (I'm on it now, actually) and so far its going sweetly. Just installed Adobe CS2 on it so it'll be interesting how Rosetta handles it. The Intel apps are amazing - you click, it opens. Maybe one bounce on the icon. Quit the app - and it disappears. None of this lag I've had with the G4. Just updating CS2 now and dropping the other apps on - then its copying time from the G4 and finally adding the other two drives into it. Its going to be a long, sleepless weekend - possible divorce proceeding on Monday. Its that 'Mac Thing'...

08-09-2006, 09:55	#7 (permalink)
cocknose Banned™ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 3,481	treat it well....

10-09-2006, 13:04	#8 (permalink)
cocknose Banned™ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 3,481	sooo... hows it been? i want a compare and contrast... cause the only reviews i have heard are all from none designers...

10-09-2006, 13:22	#9 (permalink)
Flick Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Lancaster Posts: 118	that IS special! - i'd really like to upgrade from my 15" powerbook G4 but the financial situation prevents unfortunately. What size monitor?

10-09-2006, 16:04	#11 (permalink)
pedge Crazy diamond... Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Liverpool (UK) Posts: 745	Well, this weekend all I've done is load stuff up on it and reset preferences etc. Its a cracking piece of kit, CS2 works fine from first tests but it is under Rosetta so its bound to be slower than Universal apps. I'll be working on it all day tomorrow so should get time to post first impressions then.

10-09-2006, 17:22	#13 (permalink)
cocknose Banned™ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 3,481	who really cares which one costs less or works better... its llke buying an aston martin or a bmw they do the same thing, but its your choice and your money... i'l be the aston martin....

11-09-2006, 15:25	#14 (permalink)
pedge Crazy diamond... Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Liverpool (UK) Posts: 745	Ok, here's first days impressions... Compared to my old G4 (Dual 1ghz, 2gb ram) the Mac Pro really moves. NeoOffice (an open source alternative to Word, Excel etc) dragged something chronic with the G4, taking about 20 seconds to open; the Mac Pro opened it within 5 seconds or so - very nippy. Adobe CS2 under Rosetta is a little on the sluggish side (but still faster than the Mac Pro) - you can feel its not as responsive as the native Intel apps but once Adobe get their finger out and release CS3 I'm sure it'll go like shit off a shovel. Its handling big Photoshop files ok, although Indesign has a strange quirk - if you drag a new object the co-ordinates are a little too... precise; i.e. a box which would normally display co-ordinates at X: 23.54mm Y: 18.92mm now display as X: 23.5438964678298mm Y: 18.9238964678298mm. iPhoto is a lot faster than the G4, loaded them up fine and flew along. Illustrator is working well, as is Fontagent Pro which opens incredibly fast, loading all the fonts with no problems. Don't seem to have problems with printer drivers, plugins etc - all going pretty well. Found a problem with Bryce 5.0 though - when you click on open or save in the menubar, the dialog box is hidden behind the main interface so you can't type your filename or select the file. The main thing I notice is the noise - there isn't any. The G4 sounds like its constantly trying to take off from 8am to 6pm, whirring away. It was quite eerie without that noise - think I'm going to have to keep it just for background noise. In all, so far so good, I'll get a better idea of how it handles as the week goes by.

11-09-2006, 15:45	#15 (permalink)
cocknose Banned™ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 3,481	on the adobe products.... i know start up is slow but just day to day light weight photoshop shit, can you tell a big difference... compare it to your G4

12-09-2006, 14:54	#16 (permalink)
pedge Crazy diamond... Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Liverpool (UK) Posts: 745	OKeedokee, day 2. CS2 is working fine; all apps (illy, photoshop, golive, acrobat) seem ok and so far no big problems. Compared with the G4 it definately feels (and is) faster, the only thing I've noticed is (sometimes) it stalls when using the print dialog. Not all the time, perhaps if you flick over to (say) photoshop and go straight to the print dialog it takes a few seconds longer for it to come up. Its handling large files (500mb - 1gb) no problem, so lightweight stuff should be great. Indesign is working good, nice and fast although by the time its made Universal I'm sure it'll fly. If you've got a G4 and you're wondering whether to make the switch, I'd say do it - you'll hardly notice the difference. If you've got a G5, however, you may find it slower and it may be better to wait.

18-09-2006, 02:48	#17 (permalink)
superstoffe Super Individual Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Sydney / Stockholm Posts: 367	Sweet stuff! Unfortunaly I've to stick with my 17" powerbook g4 a while. About CS2, it will run just like a dream when the update is coming. Still a couple of months though :/

18-09-2006, 03:18	#18 (permalink)
pedge Crazy diamond... Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Liverpool (UK) Posts: 745	Yep - when the universal CS2 comes out I'll defo be updating it. Tried Parallels Desktop to run Windows XP - it works with 2gb ram but not 3gb (Kernel Panics); they're working on a fix...

18-09-2006, 04:18	#19 (permalink)
cocknose Banned™ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 3,481	i don't think they are making cs2 universal.. they are just going straight to CS3 and making that universial next spring!

18-09-2006, 05:29	#20 (permalink)
pedge Crazy diamond... Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Liverpool (UK) Posts: 745	Ah - that's what I meant (CS3), a mere slip of the keyboard. Wish Adobe were as quick as Apple when it comes to beating deadlines...

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